Let Me In
by Lilly1315
Summary: Every monster has a reason. Every beauty has a solution. Amity was the safe haven compared to the other factions. Everyone's kind. Everywhere is calm.Everyday is simple.Everything is dull. (Eric from Divergent love story)
1. Chapter 1-Prologue

***Disclaimer, everything belongs to Veronica roth, the settings and main characters etc. I only own the Original Characters.**

 _'Every monster has a reason.' 'Every beauty has the solution.' Amity was the safe haven compared to the other factions. Everyone's kind. Everywhere is calm. Everyday is simple. Everything is dull. When Alyssia left the comfort of the kindest faction, she was already mentally prepared for the challenges to come. She knew people would not be so kind or happy all the time, and 'peace' is not going to be the answer to everything. However she is prepared to fight, because there is a certain beauty in resistance._

* * *

I smile to myself as I see my father walking back with a full basket of apples through my window, my mother right behind him, picking up the apples that my father carelessly dropped. It's moments like this that I feel the most guilty for leaving them, but at least I know that they still have each other.

I have always known that I don't belong in Amity, although it sounds silly -who wouldn't belong in a faction that is so peaceful and kind?-but I only see peace as an excuse to back down, an excuse for cowards. Ever since in school, I would be the one to stand up for my friends when the Candors offers their unnecessary opinions. However it wasn't until my parents were called to the school one day because I got in a fight with one of them that made me realise I will never belong in Amity. I remember my mother coming in, apologizing repeatedly to the Candor's parents while they throw every insult they know at her. So I tried to fight them as well. Which not only failed but got me into more trouble. After that event, everything changed. Although my mother never told me off, or even brought it up, I knew that she was somehow disappointed-worried even- about my future, my father simply laughed at the incident. At the same time, I stopped trying to be kind,so instead I dedicated all my time to learning hand-to-hand combat and physically training my body for similar incidents. Slowly my faction members began to drift away from me, out of fear or disgust? I don't know. All I knew is that I became an alien in a place that is meant to accept everyone.

Looking up, I stare into the mirror and analyze myself. The years of self-training resulted me a toned figure, my once thick lips finally fits as my face grew longer, the dirty blond hair is now a light blonde colour from my constant dying, it emphasizes my deep blue iris even more. The dimple people used to make fun of now has the opposite effect. The provocative look the candor and dauntless boys used to give me slowly turns into admire, flirtatious even. In contrast, the pity looks the Abnegation and Erudite girls used to give me slowly turned into jealousy which made it harder for me to make friend, but I didn't care, I had all the friends that I need.

Jaq, Caroline, Rose and I had been best friends since the first day of school, for 4 girls from 4 different factions to become friends is highly uncommon. People never expected our friendship to last because of the difference in our background. Jaq is dauntless born, always so loud but carefree, most likely because she was brought up in an environment that she always knew she belonged, she was also the one to fight along my side when poor Rose or Caroline were being bullied. Rose was from abnegation, the selfless faction. She resembled that faction well, never putting herself in a position before others, yet she still left for dauntless. Guess it requires bravery to be selfless. Caroline was candor born, however unlike other candor girls, she knows the difference between rude and honest, which might be the reason she also ended up in dauntless. Guess it requires bravery to be honest. The four of us are so different but so similar-we all belong in dauntless. All three of them are exactly a year older than me, which means they have already done their aptitude test, finished the choosing ceremony and successfully survived initiation. This year is my turn, and if my aptitude test result is reliable, I should be able to see them again soon (tomorrow).

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 ***A/N* Thanks for reading the chapter one of my story! I have always loved the character Eric in divergent and believes that there are so much more in him than what meets the outside. Please bare with me if I make any mistakes because English is not my first language. However I do appreciate feed backs and corrections :) Thanks again for reading and hope you enjoy the more story to come!**

 **-Lilly**


	2. Chapter 2-Dauntless

I am waken up by the chirping birds outside my window and made a mental note to get a cat when I move into dauntless. Not 'if' I move into dauntless- 'when' I move into dauntless. My eyes scans the plain little bedroom that I have lived in for the past 16 years, everything looks so familiar but not comfortable. On the chair beside my table, I see a tight yellow top and a pair of red jeans (so dark that it's almost black) laid out for me and feels a rush of guilt. My parents are hinting their acceptance of my departure. With a sigh, I got up and quickly got dressed, no point in delaying what's destined to come.

'Good morning honey' My mother greets me cheerfully but the redness around her eyes proves my theory.

'Morning mother' I replied, grabbing a piece of toast while trying to ignore the guilt that has been tugging me for the past few days, weeks, months, years even.

'I made pancakes, can't let my little girl have toast on such a special day.' She snatched the toast out of my hand and instead hands me a plate of fresh, warm, fluffy pancakes. My eyes feels wet but I immediately look up and holds my breath, a trick I have been using for years to prevent anyone from seeing me at such a weak status. My mother makes the best pancakes, and this small detail makes me realize how much more of my old life I need to say goodbye to.

'And the sleeping beauty awakes' My dad walks through the door and gives me a hug. _Don't breath Alyssia, and just keep on looking up._ I said to my self as the water in my eyes increases. I was too focused on my own happiness that I completely forgot how much my decision can potentially hurt my parents. The guilt hit me again but I fight against it, there's a reason I am not choosing abnegation.

I stuff down the pancakes but savoring every last flavor of it, hoping to remember every detail of my mother. My parents simply ate some toast with strawberry jam, a bit more toast than usual I might add. Maybe grief can cause hunger?

* * *

The choosing ceremony is buzzed with excitement, but it's easy to see the stress in ever 16 year old's eyes and the fear in every 16 year old's parents. My parents and I took a seat as Marcus-the leader of Abnegation-made his infamous speech that he uses every year. His words are like wind through my ears, acknowledged but not heard. I take a glimpse at my parents, and immediately wish I didn't. Although the a smile is on each of their faces, their enclosed hands are so tightly held onto each other that their knuckles appears white. I draw in a deep breath, at least they know what to expect from me.

'Alyssia Wildings' Jeanine Matthews pronounces my name carefully emphasizing every syllable.

My mother squeezes my hand and kisses my cheek, her kiss is surprisingly comforting. My father pulled me in for a last embrace.

' _Be brave'_ He whispers. I am so shocked that I can only manage a small nod. He not only knew what I am choosing, he encourages it.

I strides across the stage and carefully picks up a knife. It feels dangerous in my hand, I can threaten anyone in here yet ironically, I am going to cut myself. I hold my hand across the coals and waits for the blood's sizzle to announce my decision.

'Dauntless!' Cheer fills the dauntless group but Jeanine looks at me -no- stares at me. Not like an accusing stare, more like I am a half-solved maths puzzle she is trying to finish solving. Her stare contained confusion, shock and even a bit of realization, eventually the side of her lips lifts up and she offers me the slightest nod. I smile back and joins the welcoming embraces from my new family.

The remaining ceremony is filled with questions from dauntless boys trying to interact with me. I disregard their questions and instead moved to a seat next to a Candor transfer. She smiles at me but don't bother introducing herself so nor did I. There is a reason I left Amity.

The dauntless group leave the ceremony first, and I gladly joins. I was never a patient person. We run across the city to the train tracks, the difference in the dauntless and transfer's stamina become obvious. The members are cheering and jumping in the front while the transfers puffs, struggling to keep up. I am among the few that actually find it easy to keep up, guess all these years of training finally pays off. The sound of the train horns reminds me of what's to come next, unlike the other factions, the dauntless jumps on and off the trains. To prove bravery? Although I have never jumped onto a train before, I am both mentally and physically prepared to attempt it. The gush of wind from the train signals my cue to jump, without giving a second thought my legs run along side the train and my arms grabs the side of the door at the first opportunity given. I sway in rather easily but the sudden weight on my left leg shocks me. I look down and see the candor girl that I sat next to during the choosing ceremony dragging on my leg. I had two options, shake her off and watch her become factionless while I easily get into the train, or I can push myself harder into the train and bring her in with me (Of course also facing the chance of it failing and we both become factionless). With a deep breath, I grip tighter to the door and use all my body strength, a bit more than I knew I had, to sway me -us- in. Just because i'm not kind enough for Amity, doesn't mean I'm cold-blooded. The girl sigh in relief and look up at me.

'Thank you.' She whispers.

'It's no big deal' I reply, not wanting to remind her how close we were to becoming factionless.

'My name is Christina'

'Alyssia'

'Well you just saved my ass from becoming factionless Alyssia, I owe you one' She held out her hand waiting for me to shake on it. I grab it and smiles. Jaq, Caroline and Rose are all members already, at least it will be nice to have a friend from our initiation class. We sit in silence, Christina surprisingly quiet for a Candor, I guess the thought of never returning to our old factions and the challenges dauntless has prepared for us are finally dawning onto us.

'They are JUMPING' A boy's shout break the silence, Christina and I exchange confused glances. How did I not see it coming, if they are willing to make us jump on a moving train, what stops them from making us jump off one.

'What happens if we don't jump', an Erudite boy questions.

'What do you think? You become factionless'. Reply a smug looking Candor, he look confident, not a hint of fear about jumping off a moving train 5 stories high. _Looks like someone else is more prepared than you are._ That thought worries me, as arrogant as it sounds, I not only want to survive being a dauntless, I want to succeed at being a dauntless. That thought also 'pushes' me, both mentally and physically.

'Together?' Christina ask once she realize my pouncing position. I hesitate, if the same thing happens again when we jumped on the train, we can very well end up dead. But I had already helped her on, what's the point if I am not going to at least bring her in into the dauntless compound.

'Sure'. I hold out my hand and start the countdown. '3...2...1...JUMP'

Our legs pounces off the train together and the world slows down. For a second I am sure that we weren't going to make it but that thought is dismissed when the sharp gravel stabs into our hands and knees. Adrenaline fills through me and before I can stop it, a huge goofy smile appears on my face. I have always loved the sensation danger brings. It used to worry my parents, how I would jump off the trees when there is a ladder next to me, or how I would drive the truck around the farm not bothering to look at the speed meter. That side used to always land me into trouble back in Amity, but here in dauntless it can help me succeed. Christina seems to enjoy it too because she return an equally large grin.

'Alright listen up, i'm Eric, one of your leaders here in dauntless. If you want to enter the compound, this is the way in, if you are too scared to jump then you don't truly belong in dauntless.' A tattooed man shouts. He has a bulky figure and light blond hair, even with all the piercings that coveres his face, it's easy to tell that he is only a few years older than us. 'Well someone's got to go first, who is it going to be?' I look around and see that everyone is preoccupied with pointless tasks to avoid eye contact with Eric. The confident candor boy from the train is busy picking gravel off his arms while Christina is fiddling with the corner of her sleeve. I never plan to go first, getting all the attention in dauntless is not my intention when I joined, however I do want someone to hurry up and go so I can jump and fill my body with adrenaline again. Maybe it's my lack of patience or the temptation of the adrenaline, but words begin to form before my conscious see it coming.

'I will'. My own voice surprise even myself. Eric stares at me and make a gesture with his hand signaling me that I am free to jump. I can feel every pair of eyes on my as I walk towards the edge.

'Dayum. I'd tap that.' I hear the candor boy say and a few smirks from the other boys. I immediately flushes. As brave as I believe I am, intimacy has always make me uncomfortable, of course I try to ignore as much as I can but the boys never know when to stop. I look toward Eric, expecting some demand that can hopefully shut the boys up, but he simply tap his foot impatiently waiting for me to jump. Maybe sexual harassment was a common thing in dauntless...

'The only thing that lets you tap is your left hand'. Christina responds. Everyone laugh with her, except for Eric and a few dauntless members that are still waiting for me to jump. I send Christina a grateful look and jump. The falling sensation swallow me up and my heart pounding on my chest. I love it. The squealing sound and the contact of the net with my body brought me back to reality. I stare up, not bothering to hide the goofy smile again caused by the adrenaline. I am in dauntless, and soon enough I will become dauntless.

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 **I am having so much fun writing this story. Thank you to the people who has read the story so far, I really hope you guys enjoyed the story. Any feed back is welcome! :)**

 **-Lilly**


	3. Chapter 3-Patience

**Hey guys, thank you for reading this. Sorry that it's quite short and took me forever to update, my Cambridge end of the year exams are coming up and it's taking up all of my time. Thanks to the few that have left me comments, it really motivates me to update more frequently. English is not my first language so I apologize in advance for the grammar mistakes! Hope you guys liked this chapter because I have heaps of ideas for next chapter and more of Eric/Aly scenes :) P.s please leave a review if you can because I love hearing what you guys think xx**

* * *

A rough hand pulls me off the net, disrupting my thoughts. The force behind it almost cause me to slam face down onto the ground, if that same hand hadn't also catch me and stand me up. I quickly adjust my body and pull away from the hand, I never enjoy people touching me, especially rough, rude, strangers. Looking up, I am met with a pair of warm brown eyes full of curiosity behind them. The boy only look a few years older than me, yet he look worn, not like 'tired' from a lack of sleep, more like the mere few years he's been alive has already been too long. The boy coughs and I quickly look away, feeling a rush of heat rushing to my cheeks. I was staring for too long.

'Name?' The boy ask, clearly unimpressed about me checking him out.

'Alyssia' I reply without thinking, still embarrassed about my previous behavior. The boy raise an eyebrow, as if my name is the most ridiculous thing he has heard. Suddenly I begin to question my name as well. 'Alyssia' used to be something I was proud off, instead of going with a typical Amity name like 'Sarah' or 'Amanda', my parents went with something completely unique and unheard of, not 'Alyssa', but 'Alyssia'. As if the extra _'i'_ is a constant reminder for everyone to put in the extra effort and give me the extra attention when they are calling out to me. However attention was not something i'm desperately seeking. I'm not scared of attention, but there is a difference between fear and preference. I just prefer to settle down before anyone notices me. 'Aly, I rather be called Aly' I whisper only for him to hear. His eyes bore into me as if he has heard every last thought I had, luckily he didn't seem to question my decision.

'First jumper, Aly!' The boy shouts and a loud cheer erupts all around me. 'I'm Four, welcome to dauntle-'.

Unfortunately, Four's welcome is disrupted as I am being knocked on the ground by an unknown force.

'I knew it! I knew I you would've choosen dauntless!' Jac's familiar voice fills my ears, it is so comforting and I immediately hug her back, tighter. 'Why did you have to jump first though? Caro and I had a bet, and I bet that you would be the second jumper instead of first.'

'Served you right for not having as much faith in me' I teases and Jac laughs, it is like the old times again, before my three best friends left me to pursuit their future. Jac did not look too different, the old purple highlights are replaced with a light shade of blue and her nose is now complimented with a piercing, something she has always wanted. Other than that, nothing too out of the ordinary for a dauntless born. I peek around us, most members looks confused and slightly amused, it's not common for an Amity to transfer to Dauntless, it's even more uncommon for that transfer to receive such a loud welcome.

* * *

'Every year someone dies from falling into the chasm, here in Dauntless we train soldiers, not idiots. Consider yourself warned'

I shiver as Four lead us through the dark hallway to our room, the dauntless compound is exactly the opposite of Amity. Instead of outside we were underground, instead of trees we have rocks, instead of lakes we have a chasm. Jac and I are at the back of the group with Eric following too closely behind us. Although I have only just met him, there's a red flag at the back of my mind signaling me to stay as far away from him as possible. And I always trust my instincts. There is something about this guy that differs him from all the other Dauntless members. He is tall, 6ft 4 the least and taller than most guys I've seen, he's bulky, the muscles on his bicep flexes every time he moves his arm, but it's his eyes that makes him most intimidating. Cold but calculating, not acknowledging your existence but at the same time watching your every move. I shiver again.

'You okay Aly? Cold or scared?' Jac asks.

'A bit chilly, but no big deal.' That wasn't completely a lie, it's beyond freezing down here in the compound and I am still in the light yellow top I wore this morning. However there is no need to share the true cause of my shivers, especially not with the reason right behind us.

'Thought so, it's going to take more than Four's 'horror stories' to scare you. You want my jacket?' She asks 'although half of the men in here would be disappointed.' I glare at her but that only encourages her more. 'Don't look so embarrassed, you know it's true. Did you not see the longing look people give you when you first landed in the net. You've been in dauntless for how long-what-30minutes? And you have already become all the dauntless men's wet dream, half the woman's too' She laughs at her own joke. If looks could kill, Jac would be dead. Behind us Eric coughed and I immediately flush, Jac turns around and her smile wipes off instantly. 'Er-Eric, didn't see you there.' Jac stutter. To say I am shocked would be an understatement, Jac never stutter, she is never afraid of anything. Eric ignores her and instead stalks to the front of the group, shouldering Jac on the way, but instead of speaking out she simply backs away further. Anger rush through me, I don't care who Eric is but no one should be allowed to make my friend feel this way, especially not the fearless, carefree Jac. I tried to protest but Jac dragged me back, a small shake of her head and the warning in her eyes is all it took to put sense into me again. I am an initiate who haven't even started training and Eric is a leader that even Jac fears. It's going to take much more than an impulsive act of bravery to stand up to Eric. The only problem is that I was never a patient person.


	4. Chapter 4-The encounter

After Four showed us our rooms, or should I say room, he left everyone to change out of our old faction clothes and into our black dauntless training gear. To my surprise, everyone begin stripping off their clothes straight away leaving me feeling as embarrassed as ever.

'Why aren't you changing?' Christina questions while pulling off her pants, I immediately look away.

'Why are you changing?' I challeng 'aren't you going to wait for everyone to leave first?'

'Aly, just hurry up and change. No one cares and we are going to be late for dinner.'

I scan around us, she is right. Everybody is too busy changing out of their own clothes to notice anyone else, with hesitation I begin to unbutton my pants. To my annoyance however, a dozen pairs of eyes suddenly flash to me, and quickly looks away once they see my awareness. _Sneaky bastards._ I button my pants again and is met with a pair of eyes that has been lingering for too long. It is the same guy that made the dirty comment about me back on the rooftop. Instead of looking away, he slowly meet my eyes and give me an a sly side smirk. _Arrogant asshole!_ Before I can call him out, he decids to provoke me even more.

'The little Amity is feeling shy?' He singsonged. 'That's funny, I thought Amity is the most carefree faction, especially in the physical aspect of it.' He winked and a few others laughed with him, I want to fight back, punch him so hard to wipe that smirk right off his face, but before I can say anything, Christina came to my rescue.

'Shut up Peter, the last time someone got physical with you was to shove a cactus up your ass!'

Peter is not impressed with the remark, however he only narrow his eyes and stalks off. A few of his friends follow him but no one else make further comments. Instead of grateful, I became worried. For Christina and for myself. For Christina because Peter does not seem like the type to let issues drop easily, and him simply walking away from her makes me wonder if he's thinking of a revenge. For myself because in the mere 2 hours I've been here, I have already started drama.

'Hey, you ok?' Christina asks, her eyes full of concern.

'Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks' I whisper.

'Good, don't worry about Peter and them. You can change now, everyone's gone to dinner.'

'Okay' I reply while sorting out the dauntless clothing they give us. 'Don't wait for me, I don't want you to be late for dinner.'

'Are you sure? I don't mind being late, I'm not even hungry.' Ironically, her stomach growl.

'Not at all, go on!' I usher her away and eventually she gave in. I slowly unbutton my pants again and put on the black trousers provide for us. The length is alright but it is too loose, annoyed I put on the red belt I wore during the day to prevent it from falling off. I would like to say the top fits me perfectly but that would be a lie, similar to the pants, the top is too loose and reaches my mid-thighs, the one side of the sleeve falling off my shoulder. With a sigh I tuck the top in the trousers and made a mental note to get some new clothes the first chance I get.

* * *

The dining area in the dauntless headquarters is chaotic. The shouting can be heard all the way down the hallway, inside dauntless kids run around the tables while easily ducking the food people were throwing around. I stand by the door confused about where to go, I didn't want to draw attention to myself anymore than I have already, and being late for dinner didn't help with the plan. Scanning around the place, I notice how divided up everything is. Along the far corner is the leadership and high ranking members, Four is there whispering to his friends that nods in return and I recognize Eric there along with other leaders including Max which I have seen countless times at the school events. They probably don't want a initiate there. Christina sat on the table next to them along with some of the transfers I recognize, however there are no more empty seats at that table. With a sigh I begin making my way towards the almost empty table at the very back of the room when I felt something-some people-knocking me off balance. For the second time today.

I don't like being touched too much, but for them I would make an exception. Caro looks as stylish as ever, her layered strawberry blonde hair finishes just blow her waist and her deep blue eyes were enhanced with the blackest liner. She wore a pair of black combat boots with black shorts and a sleeveless black top with gold studs on them, as if mocking my horrendous outfit. Rose looks the most different though, her ash colored hair is now jet black and her ears are covered with a dozen piercings altogether. She wore a tight fitting shirt with a pair of black jeans, resembling nothing of the little abnegation girl Jac and I used to protect. All three of them hugged me so tight, and I swear I see Rose wipe a tear. We are definitely making a scene, from the corner of my eyes I see Christina staring at us along with a few other transfers. Even some of the members from the leaders' table points to us and I see Eric glancing up at us, but he looks away too quickly for me to be sure.

Pulling away from the hug, Caro scan my outfit and raise an eyebrow.

'Don't judge, the clothes they provide are too big so I have to make my own adjustments ok?' I defend myself, already feeling self-conscious of my outfit.

'Didn't think you wore it to make a fashion statement' Caro teases "Although I must admit, the 'I don't give a shit about life' look actually looks pretty cute".

'Caro, leave Alyssia alone!' Dear sweet Rose 'How are you feeling'

'It's just Aly now' I remind them. 'And thank you Rosiee, I just miss you guys, a lot.' I states while pulling them into another group hug.

'We miss you too Aly, but we knew you'll eventually end up here.' She winks.

'Come on, lets go sit down. I want to finish my dinner.' Jac complains and I follow them over to their table. To my dismay, it is opposite the leaders' tables, eyes follow me as I make my way towards the table but I simply ignore them, the joy of re-uniting with my best friends temporarily numb my self-consciousness. 'Aly this is Jonathan, Serena and Toby' Jac introduce the unfamiliar faces on the tables to me.

Toby gave me a small wave and Serena smiles at me, Jonathan however just stares.

'Nat, cat caught your tongue?' Caro elbow him.

'No, it's just the rumors are not exaggerated at all.' Jonathan reply while moving his glance down, fixing on a region that would have trigger a slap from me if he wasn't Jac, Rose and Caro's friend.

'Care to elaborate?'

'Well there's a rumor saying that instead of a initiate, an angel fell from the sky and land in the net and became the first jumper.' He grin at me 'And I think I just fell too...in love.'

Heat rush to my cheeks again and Jac and Rose giggle while Caro slap him on the back of his head.

'Sorry, lets start over. I'm Jonathan, your future husband.' He hold out his hand to me.

'Nat, leave the poor girl alone.' Serena slap Jonathan on the back of the head again.

* * *

It turns out Jonathan is not half as bad as I thought. Although he still attempts to flirt, his direction of eye sight has improved from my chest to my neck. Still not looking at me directly in the eye but hey, at least we were getting somewhere. I make some brief conversations with Toby and Serena before they had to leave to get back to the fence, Jonathan soon left as well to help out in the surveillance room.

'So what are you guys' jobs?' I ask

'Jac is one of the trainers for the dauntless born, Caro has her own club down in the Pit and i'm a nurse down at the infirmary.' Rose reply 'and I do not want to see you there.' She adds.

'No promises, if only you knew the training we have planned for the initiates this year.' Jac responds 'and no Aly, I am not sharing anything.'

'Stop scaring her, the skills she has is already enough to get her through initiation, and they are still going to teach her more. Next thing you know, she'll be sitting there' she points to the table opposite from us 'discussing leadership business with Max.' Caro teases. They knew how hard I have been training for the past few years, however half the people in my room is double the size of me, not to mention there are still the dauntless born who began training since they were born. I play around with the remaining food on my plate wondering about training tomorrow while giving out occasional peaks at the table across. Eric in engaged in a serious conversation with Max and a few of the other leaders and high rank members, one of them catches my eye and I quickly look away. To make me more uneasy, a few of them got up and begin making their way towards our table, Eric included.

'Hey Caro.' The one with the nose ring came and dangles his arm on Caro's shoulder.

'Hi Dan.' Caro purrs and Jac fakesd a vomit.

'Care to introduce me to your new friend?' He winked at me.

'This is Aly, she's one of the initiates, one of our closest friends, and completely off limits.' She smack his arm away.

'Ouch baby girl, and it's not up to you to decide who's off limits or not.' Dan mutters while slowly leaning in to me.

'Dan, we need to go and set up the meeting. Let's go.' Eric commands and Dan immediately drop the act and follow the group out the hall. I stare at Eric as he march away and wonder why-and more importantly-how did he manage to get almost everyone to fear him so much.

'-any of that?' Jac poke my arm.

'huh sorry?' I reply, feeling slightly guilty about drowning out of the conversation.

'I said are you not going to eat any of that?'

I look down at my plate, the sausages were left untouched along with half the hot dog bun. 'You know how picky I am with my meat, and since when have I finished a whole hot dog?'

'I just figured you might be hungry after such a long day' Jac shrug. 'Anyways what time are you guys coming over?' I raise my eyebrow wondering which other part of the conversation I missed.

'Let's just go after dinner.' Rose reply.

'What exactly are we doing?' I question

'To catch up on the past year that we haven't seen each other, and to get you more clothes.' Rose explains. I wanted to object because I didn't want to stay up late when I have training tomorrow, but the idea of actually having fitting clothes is too tempting.

'Can't wait.'

* * *

The hallway is much quieter as I make my way toward the bedroom. Everyone was probably asleep already. I didn't plan on getting back too late but here I am, sneaking around the compound in just a singlet and pair of shorts with soaking wet hair just moments before midnight trying to get back to the room. I have however successfully stolen some of Jac's clothes and lands myself have a few pairs of tight black leggings, jeans, a few t-shirt that actually fits me, one of Caro's black leather jacket and manages to take a shower in Jac's apartment. The dauntless compound without all the shouting is like another place, water dripping from the side echos as more water splashes on the rocks in the chasm. Suddenly Four's words come into my mind. _'Every year someone dies from falling into the chasm'._ I stop walking, _'someone's life ended here, someone who probably had a family that loved them and a future in front of-' ._ The cough behind me make me jump and cause me to drop my new wardrobe. I bend down to pick them up but someone spoke out first.

'Shouldn't you be in bed?' I slowly turn around and is met with a pair of grey eyes without any emotions behind them.

'I'm going to bed right now.' I respond as confidently as I can not wanting to give this man the sanctification of hearing me stammer. He might have gotten everyone here in dauntless to fear him but I refuse to let anyone intimidate me ever again, especially not here in Dauntless where I know I belong.

'First day and you already not following orders?' He taunts.

'I don't recall being given a bed time ever since I got over the age of 6.' He narrows his eyes but to my surprise, didn't say anything. I take this as an opportunity and hurriedly gather my stuff and get ready to leave, however as I walk past him he suddenly grab my arm. His grip wasn't too hard but the strength behind them is enough to make me feel uncomfortable.

'Watch your back.' Was all he said before he stalk away.

Before I can stop it, another shiver run down my spine.

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 **Hope you guys liked this chapter! Thank you to everyone that read this and left a review. Reviews really inspire me to write and motivates me to update more frequently. Also let me know if you would like to read some parts of this story in Eric's POV, just so you guys can have a little bit more insight to what Eric is thinking. The end of year Cambridge exams is less than a month away and I'm just procrastinating as usual. However I do hope you guys understand if I don't update as much as I would like! Again thanks for reading xx**


	5. Chapter 5-Black and Blue

A member died last night.

At the arrival of the next morning, the encounter with Eric is fresh in my mind. However I wasn't given the opportunity to further dwell on the memory before Four come in shouting for us to get ready to go to breakfast. However most of us are already awake from the shouting and crying outside our room ever since earlier this morning, yet no one care or dare enough to actually go and investigate the source.

It first starts with a quiet whisper follow by a series of quick footsteps, at first I thought I was dreaming but Christina's gentle cough and kick dismissed that idea. The sun wasn't up but it is still bright enough for me to make out the features of Christina, the her alert eyes confirms that she heard the noise outside too. The sound is hushed and hurried but continuous, eventually it manages to wake up half the people in this room. This lasts for almost an hour until the crying starts that eventually wakes up the remaining initiates in the room. The sound so despairing and shrilling that it both shocks and silences all of us at the same time. We are all on edge and expects an explanation at Four's entrance but he delivers nothing. So nor did we say anything as we all get ready. Anxiety and discomfort fills the atmosphere as we welcome our first day in Dauntless.

It is all revealed to us as we pass the chasm, two dauntless men are pulling on a piece of rope while a stiff body is being dragged up, his limbs dangling down and as water drips down from his blonde hair to his exceptionally pale but lifeless face. A woman weeps into the shoulder of her friend while a few members stand in a group engaging in a heated discussion, Four is among them. At the sight of me, he pursed his lip and strides towards my direction.

'You need to come with me.' He instructed, his voice void of emotion refusing to give me a hint as to why I am needed. Christina give me a curious glimpse before walking away with confusion.

'Why?'I question, secretly glad that my voice sounds stable because deep down inside anxiety is taking over.

'The leaders wants to speak to you.' His voice soften as he adds. 'You really should have been more careful.' The pit in my stomach worsen.

Four lead me to the seats outside Max's office before his assistant dismisses Four. He seems hesitant to leave but eventually did because he knew he had to, not without giving me one last troubled glance to deepen my worry. I fiddle with my nails as I try to calm myself down, second day in dauntless and I am already in trouble? It's nothing new for me to get in shit, in fact this almost feels like deja vu compares to the numerous times I have been called to the principle's office back in school. The only difference is that now, I have no idea what I did.

My dad used to call me a 'trouble magnet' as a joke and I did not mind. Getting into trouble never bothers me too much, the idea of following someone else's rule of what's right and wrong and getting into _trouble_ for it because you don't agree just seems silly. Instead of trying to stay of trouble, I rather focus on trying to find a place that defines my _inappropriate_ behavior as a _lifestyle._ That is one of the reasons I chose dauntless, they encourage the actions I used to get into trouble for and teaches the skills I was forbid to even think about.

'You can go in now.' The assistant announces without interest as I wipe my hands on my leggings. I try to be confident because whatever it is that I did, I refuse to give myself away before he has the chance to accuse me of anything. All of confidence somehow diminishes as I walk in the office. Max is not along. Sitting beside him on the left is Jeanine Matthews, it seems like years since I last saw her at the choosing ceremony, yet it was only yesterday. Her perfectly styled hair and wrinkle-free blue dress makes everything more intimidating.

Blue and black are interesting colors, they each symbolizes the type of pain a person can inflict on someone else. Blue is nothing as daunting as black but it's ever bit as threatening and damaging, if not, more. Black can terrorize someone because of it's cruelty and violence, it can make you beg for mercy as you watch the malicious grin spreading across their cheek as they take in the joy of seeing you bleed and suffer. Blue on the other hand is more cold and distant, it brings no physical harm but the damage it can cause is much terrifying than black. They don't care about you screaming in pain because they don't care or feel for anything, unlike black, they don't take joy in seeing you suffer because you are not even worth for them to feel hint of human emotion. All the scream and beg are just a waste of their time as you realize that they _simply. don't. feel._ Emotions means a potential weakness but blue has non, once they master the art of not caring, nothing can truly hurt them. Black can leave you with a broken bone and a bleeding cut but blue can leave you with a with a permanent nightmare and a resigned soul.

That's how I feel as I stare into Jeanine's _blue_ eyes. Cold and distant.

Sitting on the other side of Max, is the one and only Eric. He didn't look up from his tablet as Max greets me.

'Hello Aly.' Max's tone is warm but also full of authority.

'Hello sir.' I am proud myself for the fake confidence in my voice. 'I was told you wanted to see me?'

Jeanine spoke out this time : 'You were seen wondering around the chasm last night in the surveillance camera, around the same time Jerry was killed. We want to know if saw or heard anything that can possibly help us look further into this case' Her tone is just like her appearance, so calm but...hollow.

'No, I did not see or hear anything.'

'Did you see anyone that can be a potential suspect?' So they assume that he was murdered? My eyes flicker to Eric and wish I hadn't. His has now given me his full attention, his eyes bore into mine as I struggle to answer the question. Am I suppose to share my encounter with Eric? Do they already know? Is this a test to see if I am capable of telling the truth? Suddenly, Eric sit up straight, and gave me the smallest nod. It was so tiny that I am doubting myself whether or not I saw it correct, however as there is no time for me to break it down and analyze the movement, I went with my instinct.

'I saw Eric.' I realize that I have been holding my breath because my head is now light from a lack of oxygen. To my surprise, Eric seems relieved at my answer. Max smiles and Jeanine relaxes.

'Very well, we were informed about that. Anything else you would like to share?' Max questions.

'No, I only saw Eric and immediately went to bed.' My voice is more stable now and I silently praise myself for holding it all together. Max and Eric both looks relieved now and Jeanine seems more at ease?

'Okay, thank you Aly.' As I am about to walk out, Jeanine calls out to me.

'One more question, what's your mother's name?' I stop on my tracks, secretly fearing that she is going to punish my family for whatever it is I have done. Max and Eric look at each other, clearly confused about Jeanine's sudden interest in my family tree. I want to ignore her question and walk away, but what's stopping her from going through my records and punishing them more for ignoring authority?

'Kira, wh-why?' I begin to feel uneasy.

'What's your _birth_ mother's name?' My head starts to spin, if I felt uneasy before, I am now petrified. No one else should know about this information, my mother brought it up a few times when was younger but eventually I stopped caring about my birth parents. All they did was give birth to me, my parents are the one's with me through thick and thin. My lips feels dry while a million questions run through my head, why does Jeanine want to know my birth mother's name, and most importantly HOW does she know my back story. She seems to recognize my discomfort because she let the matter drop.

'Sorry, it's non of my business. Thank you for your time Aly, you are now dismissed.' I want to run out the office and all the way back to amity to hug my parents but at the same time I also want to stay with Jeanine and demand the reason behind her question. However I did neither of those things as I slowly walk away, each step feeling heavier and heavier as I head towards the dining hall.

 _Blue, capable of triggering the most sensitive part of a person without any physical contact and merely a sentence. Cold, emotionless blue._

* * *

 ** _A/N_**

 ** _Thanks again for reading this chapter! Before I started this story I have already planned out most of the major plot lines in the story. I am going to focus on Aly and Eric's relationship but at the same time I would like to add some of my own plot twists on the overall story. Hope you guys enjoyed that chapter. Any feedback is more than welcome :) P.S Thanks to the few who has left me reviews, they really are encouraging when it comes to writing xx_**


	6. Chapter 6-Bulls eye

To say the confrontation with the leaders left me feeling uneasy is an understatement. No one really knew I was adopted except for my friends and my parents themselves, although I don't look like my parents, people back in amity were too nice to bring up such touchy and personal subject. This is obviously not the case with Jeanine. After all Erudite only cares about the hard cold facts, and disregards each individual's feelings.

I hurriedly eat my breakfast without tasting the food, picking up small pieces off the banana muffin while ignoring my best friends' looks of concern. Somehow people found out Max wanted to see me and a rumor got out that I was present when Jerry was killed. Jac, Caroline and Rose knew the truth since they were partly responsible for keeping me out until such a late hour, however that didn't stop the curious and even suspicious looks I am receiving from other members. It bothers me that on my second day here there are already rumors about me from my own faction but I am simply too caught up in Jeanine's question to care.

'I have really under estimated you, little Amity.' A nasty voice interrupts me from my own thoughts. I turn around to face Peter and his little friends.

'Who knew a little girl from Amity can cause so much trouble.' One of his friends -Molly- taunted.

The dining hall seems to be quieter than usual, everyone curious to see how I will respond to their unspoken accusation. They think I'm responsible for Jerry's death.

'I suggest you shut it before that big mouth of yours gets you in any more trouble.' Jac retorted. Molly and Drew seems taken aback, however the sly grin on Peter's face did not lessen one bit. Jac seem to notice it too because her hand balls together and her back straightens up, preparing to teach Peter a lesson. I couldn't let that happen, although it's not against the rules to fight an initiate, it's still looked down upon. Someone stronger and older bullying the weak is a characteristic of a coward.

'What are you trying to say? Peter.' I spit out the last word.

'Nothing, just wondering where you were last night and why you came in late.' Almost everyone's attention is on us now. 'You seem to be back around the same time Jerry went missing.' The tension in the dining hall is becoming unbearable. The piercing glares from the table in the far corner makes my palm sweat. One particular sharp glare on the table, whom I recognize as the girl crying earlier on next to Jerry's body, make me feel grateful that looks can't kill. Great, now I have Jerry's friends after me as well.

'Are you implying that I killed him?' I questioned darkly. Peter's grin widens.

'If the shoe fits, wear it.'

'I hope you have enough evidence for your accusations, initiate.' A deep voice spoke up from behind me. A shiver went down my spine and I didn't need to turn around to see who it is. Apparently I am not the only one to feel nervous, Peter clearly did not expect Eric to speak up. Molly and Drew slowly retrieves back to their table leaving Peter alone to face the most feared dauntless leader.

'I, I-'. Peter begin to stutter but Eric cut him off.

'Because I was there too, so with your theories should I be responsible for Jerry's _suicide_ as well?' Eric's tone is surprisingly calm, however the calmness did not hide the dangerous threat behind it. Peter was left completely speechless, I hold my breath as Eric lean in slowly to Peter. 'If I see you make a scene about this issue again initiate, it will be you down there next time. Understood?'. He is so quiet that only Peter and I can hear, but the promise in his voice was loud and clear. Peter quickly nods his head and scampers off with Molly and Drew following closely behind.

'Thanks...' I turn around to thank him but he simply give me a cold glare and stomps back to his table, leaving me feeling embarrassed and confused.

* * *

By the time I reach the training room, I was prepared to beat anyone up. The embarrassment caused from both Peter and Eric has finally hit me and as a result it left me angry and ready to fight. Unfortunately for me, we are not fighting today. Even more unfortunate, Eric is there.

'Listen up initiates! See this chart, this chart is your life. You will be ranked each day and after stage one the 5 lowest initiates will be leaving us. The remaining 5 will be cut after stage 3. You will train separately from the dauntless born but you will be ranked together.' Eric points towards the Dauntless borns where I see Jac pointing towards the chart as well, probably telling them the same thing. When our eyes meet, she gives me an encouraging smile.

'What happens if we leave?'. Christina's friend who I recognize as Will asks.

'Well you can't go back to your parents, so you live faction less.' Eric answers indifferently, not showing any emotion about the fate of the 5 initiates. Gasps erupts around me, everyone seems shocked about this rule. Although surprised, I am not worried. The years of training I did by myself sure gives me an advantage now, it might not be enough to give me top in the class but it probably will be enough to at least secure me a spot here in dauntless. Looking around, only two other people appears as confident as me. Edward whom I recognize transferred from Erudite, and Peter.

'How come no one warned us about this?'

'It's a new rule.'

'A new rule?! Some should have at least told us.' Christina half shouted, she genuinely looks worried.

'Why? Would you have chosen differently? If that were the case then I suggest you leave now. If you are truly dauntless, it wouldn't matter.' Eric challenged. 'You chose us, now we get to choose you.' No one dare to speak up after that, instead we all direct our attention towards each other, seizing up every potential target and threat.

'The first stage is physical, where we will teach you how to fight and defend yourselves. The second stage is mental where we will dig deep into your heads to help you face your worst fears. The third is emotional, where we see how you react under the fears.' Four explained. Stage one sounds simple enough, however it's stage 2 and 3 that worries me. I had absolutely no preparation, but from the looks on Edwards and Peter's face, neither did they. Fair fight then.

* * *

Shooting a gun is harder than it appears. Although I am one of the few that hit the target, I'm no where near the bullseye. Christina seems to be struggling, only one of her bullets has made it onto the outer ring, where the other bullets went were unknown and will forever remain a mystery. Peter and Edward seems to be doing alright, no one has hit a bulls eye yet but at least they are hitting the target. After my fifth bullet hits the outer ring, I stop. I'm clearly doing something wrong so there's no point to continue wasting my time and bullets. The others paid no attention to my lack of participation, however from my side version I can clearly see that I have gotten the full attention from Eric and Four. Ignoring them, I bent down again this time determined to fix the problem. The rings in the targets makes me feel dizzy, every time I think I aimed correctly, my hands move unconsciously. This time I aimed at the middle ring, and just when I am about to pull the trigger. I closed my eyes and slightly turned my face away from the target.

* _BANG*_

 _*Silence*_

I slowly open my eyes and see that everyone is staring at me. Christina looks shocked but soon gathers herself and give me a warm smile. A few other initiates glare at me, clearly seeing me as a competition, even a threat. Four makes his way towards me while Eric remains motionless.

'Well done initiate.' Four pats me on the back and walks away to help the others. I turn to face my target, and a small smile made it onto my lips.

 _Bulls eye._

 _*A/N*_

 _Thank you everyone for reading. A special thanks to everyone that voted and commented. Your comments and reviews really helps me to write because it makes me feel like there is someone out there following the journey of Aly and Eric with me. Any feedback is much appreciated! Exams are finally over for me (Although I failed maths...) I should be able to update more now. I originally wanted to make this chapter Eric's POV but I feel like there's not enough chemistry for Eric and Aly yet, it will also spoil some future plot twists if it's in Eric's POV right now. However I will definitely do a POV for Eric soon! Also I'm sorry if the relationship between Eric and Ally are going so slow, I just want their relationship to really take their time to develop because I think Eric is not the type of person to just fall in love easily and quickly with every girl he meets. Again thanks so much for reading! Please leave a review and vote if you enjoyed it!_


	7. Chapter 7-Breaking point

_Little did Ali know, someone else was also watching their training. Max and Jeanine watches Ali with curiosity and Eric soon joins them._

 _'The are not doing as well this year.' Max comments._

 _'It's their first day.' Eric responds, as harshly as he treats the initiates, they are still his responsibility therefore them not doing good is a slap on Eric's face._

 _'Except for that one, Ali is it?' Max points towards the dark haired beauty who is hitting nothing but the very center of the target now.' 'She's got potential.'_

 _'Keep an eye on her Eric, push her to the breaking point.' Jeanine commands. 'If she is who I think she is, then I have high hopes for her.' She turns to walk away but suddenly stops. 'Just don't break her.' She adds with a much warmer tone, leaving the two dauntless leaders nothing but confusion._

* * *

By the time four dismisses us to dinner, most of us are already half dead. In the afternoon we were taught how to fight. Although I had already studied most of the moves in my own time before, I was more than happy to use that time to perfect it while the majority of the other initiates preforms it for the first time. Peter wasn't bad, that I have to admit. However it's obvious that some of the moves were even foreign to him, Edward on the other hand, is in the same boat as me. The boat that is sailing in front of the other little boats. Like me, he knew all the moves already and spent most of the afternoon perfecting it as well. I already knew he is going to be a threat, the obstacle on the road blocking me from being on top. However just like any other obstacle, it can be easily dodged.

The next day during breakfast my friends are quieter than usual. Rose appears to be worried while Caro attempts to calm down a fuming Jac. Nat and Toby appears as confused as me.

'What's going on?' I carefully questions. No one said anything until Jac speaks up.

'I saw the fighting list today for you transfers.'

'And?'

'You are fighting Edward.'

For some reason, I feel excited. Obviously Edward is a good but if I somehow manages to win, it will make the rest of the fight easier. May as well get it over with. My friends however has mistaken my excitement with worry.

'Don't worry Ali, I'll talk to four about it. How dare Eric put you against Edward on your first fight, you are a girl and not to mention he is double your siz-'. Jac's ramble was interrupted by Eric's growl.

'Initiates, follow me!' Eric shouted and immediately everyone begins to follow him.

'Don't worry about me Jac, I want to fight Edward, and I know I can do this.' I quickly whisper to them before following Eric.

'Goodluck!' Rose and Caro calls.

'I will come and find you when I can.' Jac shouts.

'Thanks! I'll be the one on the ground dying with the blood on my face' I joked, but from the glare they gave me, it was apparently not very funny.

* * *

We spent the morning going over what we learnt yesterday and practicing on the punching bags and with a partner. However instead of focusing on my moves today, I spend a great amount of time studying Edward. I realize that he always attacks first and always goes for the head - smart move, the opponent most likely will be in too much shock and pain which means an easy win. He also presses his lips together before he punches -a dumb move, easily giving away your move to the opponent. Lastly, he never uses his legs, he never practice kicking and never uses his knees -This is most likely because of his height, although being so tall has it's perks, it can also make it hard to balance when using legs to attack. I smirked to my self. His weakness is going to be my strength.

Of course everyone except for me are surprised with the pairing for the fights when Eric places the board up.

Ali-Edward

Peter-Al

Christina-Myra

Drew-Will

Molly-Sit out.

Although I am already mentally prepared, seeing my name in the very top opposite Edwards makes this all appear so much more real. I scan around the room and receives sympathetic looks from my friends and smug looks from the others. This somehow makes me mad, does no one honestly believe I can win against Edward, somehow this makes me more determined to prove them wrong. Four didn't meet my gaze, he just stares down at the floor making me realize he had barely no say in the pairing. That leaves only one person responsible for this pairing. Eric. Right on cue, Eric's voice boom through the room.

'Alright stop wasting time, first fight!' He briefly makes eye contact with Edward and I 'Ali and Edward.'

Everyone held their breath as we step into the ring, Edward's face appears to be emotionless while he gets into the fighting stance. I took one last glance at Eric and Four, waiting for the signal to start fighting. Four looks concerned and pissed while Eric just looks bored.

'Remember, the person wins if their opponent either can't continue or concedes-' Four starts to explain.

'That's the old rule. According to the new rule, no one concedes.' Eric interrupts, seeming proud of this idea. Four looks like he's about to say something else but I didn't get to hear because a fist almost knocked me out. It took me a minute to realize the fight has already started, while according to Edward anyways. _Asshole_ I muttered while quickly dodging the next punch. Instead I grabs his knee to pull him down as well, that must have surprised him because before he can react, my fist has connected with his jaw. That punch usually can knock most people out, but this is Edward I am dealing with. He barely blinked and quickly jumps up ready to tackle me while pressing us lips together, I quickly dodges at the same time grabbing his elbow and kicking his knee making him trip again. However because he is so big, he pulls me down with him. Before I realizes, he's already on top of me securing me tightly with his thighs. This position somehow has such a huge impact on my emotions. Suddenly it's no longer just a fight, It's me trying to escape this position like my life is depending on it. I quickly knees him in the middle area and took the opportunity to be on top, I grabs his neck and begin rapidly punching him on the face. The next thing I know, I'm being pulled off Edward by Four as two other members take an unconscious Edward away. I finally regain some sense and walks down the ring. My friends however all subconsciously backs away, of course they would. I just knock out one of the best in the class. That somehow makes me feel guilty, of course if I don't knock him out he'll do it to me, but it still doesn't ease the feeling that I'm the cause of that much pain upon someone else. Four seems to realize my worry because he lightly squeezes my shoulder as if to assure me it's not my fault. I look around the place and my eyes meet Eric's. He looks slightly amused but scowls when he sees Four's hand on my shoulder.

* * *

By dinner time, almost everyone has heard of my 'glorious win'. My friends all seem very proud of me.

'You had no idea how shocked I was when I saw Edward being dragged in.' Rose told me.

'Yes, apparently the leaders heard as well and are all very interested in your potential.' Jac adds.

'People are having bets about who's going to come first this initiation and all of my savings are on you Ali. No pressure.' Caro joked. I didn't feel like celebrating, although I am proud of the win, I am also a little guilty and confused. Fortunately, my friends notices it too.

'Everything ok? You barely touched your dinner.' Rose genuinely looks worried.

'I don't know' I decide to be honest with them. 'When Edward was on top of me, it triggered something within me, suddenly i'm not longer just fighting for my place in dauntless, i'm fighting for my life. I just got so violent and crazy. I could've killed Edward and still not stop.' My friends exchange glances and eventually sighed, however non of them said anything.

'What?' I asked feeling irritated because they obviously know something and not telling me. Finally Rose decides to speak up.

'Well, it's just a theory, but, you know how...like...you know. Yeah...'

I can feel anger fuming up inside me at Rose's explanation.

'You are scared of intimacy, that position was just too much for you.' Caro jumps in saving Rose from having to explain it and me having to punch her on the face or something.

'Oh.' Was all I said, they do have a point, I've always disliked intimacy. Back in school I always tried my best to avoid any kind of relationship despite of all the disappoint looks from my admirers. Thankfully my friends notices my discomfort and let the issue drop. I feel conflicted, at least know I know the reason for my sudden outburst, at the same time, this is my weakness which means it's someone else's strength if they want to use it against me.

* * *

When I return to the dorm everyone is already there except for Edward and Myra. Christina won the fight against Myra and can finally understand the feeling of being forced to beat someone else up. Al barely won against Peter but is still feeling guilty-even though he don't need to be. Will however was not as lucky, Drew wasn't skilled but he was quick. Will didn't even have time to realize what was happening before he was knocked out cold by Drew.

'Is Edward still in the infirmary?' I asked Christina.

'Yeah.' She replied.

'I'm going to see how he's doing.' Christina quickly stops me.

'Ali don't, Myra is with him and she's already so angry with you.' She warns.

'But pretending I'm not the reason he's still in there because of me is not going to solve anything.' I challenged.

'It's not your fault though, you had to fight or else he wins, all you did was securing your place in dauntless.'

'No, securing my place in dauntless is him getting a bandage, not spending hours in the infirmary.' I explained as I make my way towards the infirmary.

* * *

Rose was the first to see me, and she obviously didn't want to. 'What are you doing here Ali? Are you hurt?' Once she realize the reason I was there she quickly pushes me towards the exit explaining something about 'Myra' and 'hate' and 'kill.' As I try to convince Myra can't possibly hurt me a pair of hands grabbed me from behind preventing me from trying to move further into the infirmary.

'What do you think you are doing?' _That_ voice questions me. Rose and I immediately stop struggling and I slowly turn around to see an annoyed Eric. Four stood behind him looking almost a little amused.

'I'm just checking to see if Edward is alright.' I reply realizing how stupid I sound since I'm the one that caused him to be in here in the first place.

'Didn't your friend already tell you he's fine? Now go and don't make me catch you again.'

'Bu-'

'No buts, you had to fight him and you did. It's his fault for being so weak.' He leans in until I can feel his breath on my face, it smells minty with a hint of alcohol. 'And caring so much for weak people is not how a dauntless should act.' He whispered. Before I can respond, he stands back up straight, stares me right in the eye and adds 'be proud of your win.' before walking off to check on his 'second-best' initiate.

* * *

 **A/N***

 **Hope your guys enjoyed this chapter, like I said before I also want to focus on the relationship between Ali and her friends as well because I think friendship is also a very important concept. This story is also going to have a 'hint' of Four in it because who can complain of having a little Four in their life haha. Anyways any feedback is more than welcome.**


	8. Chapter 8-Help

The few days was not better. I was paired up with Molly, Drew and Christina. Although I did not go lunatic on them, they were still badly injured. People learnt not to mess with me and i'm not sure whether or not to be grateful about it. Edward still didn't show up to training, and Myra's glares isn't making things easier.

'Just ignore her.' Will comforts me. 'They were very close back in Erudite, she just need to realize that they are not in Erudite anymore.'

Peter and his friends stopped openly teasing me, but the look and whispers from them is enough to remind me what a monster I've been. More than once I have seen Drew or Molly giving me accusation stares, and Myra's cries at night is like a sword stabbing me right in the gut with every sob she makes.

* * *

'How is Edward doing?' I asked Rose during dinner. She pause the fork midway, and seems to be contemplating on what to say to me.

'He's doing better, you hit a nerve in his brain that controls his body movement, which is why the recovery is taking so long.' She explains. 'But he's doing very well and should be back in training within a week or two.' She adds after seeing the guilt on my face.

'Can I see him?' Even though Eric told me not to, avoiding your mistake is also cowardice.

'Are you sure?' I firmly nods.

* * *

Seeing Edward in the hospital bed with a bandage around his head did not make me feel any better. He was shocked to see me but the shock soon replaced with confusion.

'Uh, Hi?' I greeted awkwardly.

'I'll leave you two alone.' Rose turns around and carefully making sure to close the quietly.

'How are you feeling?' It is probably the most stupid thing to ask but I've got nothing else. Edward chuckled while gesturing me to come close.

'I've been better. I must say, i'm impressed'. He compliments, I'm not sure if it was sarcastic or not, but decided to do what any civil person would. That is to apologize.

'I'm truly sorry for your head, I just went cra-' Edward put his hand up to stop me from blabbering on, I immediately stops feeling embarrassed for my sudden burst.

'It's ok, I know it's nothing personal. It's either kill or be killed aye. Must say, you really know how to hit a nerve?' He joked.

'What about the days you missed for training?' People are improving day by day while Edward is here on the bed, although he is skilled, it's still going to have some affect on his rankings.

'Don't worry about it, I spoke to Four about it. Although I'm not going to earn as many points as being in training, he's still going to give me a chance to catch on when i'm out.' I let out a sigh of relief.

'Hey, can you do me a favor?' Edward asks me in all seriousness. I nodded. 'You are top in the class, you can shot and probably throw a knife too. You fit in right away. Myra on the other hand only chose Dauntless because of me and I'm usually the one practicing with her. While I'm away, can you help her?' I didn't know how to respond, I don't mind Myra but i'm almost positive she hates my guts. But Edward is in this state all because of me, the least I can do is to make sure his girlfriend doesn't become factionless in the next week or two.

'Sure, I can work with her on her fight and techniques and help her in class.'

'Thank you.'

* * *

The first thing I did when I went back to the dorm was to find Myra, she was not pleased to see me but was also too scared to be rude.

'Can I help you?' It's obvious how much venom was in that small sentence.

'Listen, I know you probably hates me right now for beating up Edward and I'm truly sorry for it. Rules or not it was out of line and I still feel guilty for it. Let me help you.' She scoffed.

'Why do you want to help me? What is it to you?'

'Because Edward asked me to.' I decided to be honest to her. 'And because he's a great guy and cares about you a lot. So if you become factionless, do you know how much it will hurt him?' She seems to contemplate it for a second before her smile softens.

'I believe you.' She whispers. 'Thank you.'

* * *

 **A/N* Whattt? Two chapters in a day? Sorry it's so short, more chapters real soon I promise haha, and more Eric as well. Don't forget to vote and review xx**


	9. Chapter 9-Knives

**A/N* I have changed the main character's hair colour from Amity to Dauntless to a light blonde because I want her to dye it brunette in Dauntless. Hope you guys like this chapter, also i'm thinking about making the next chapter Eric's POV, so let me know how you guys think about that idea. Thanks for reading and I really do hope you enjoyed it. Please review and vote, it really motivates me to write more often. Thanks!**

* * *

The next morning Myra and I got up at 5am to start our practice. Everyone else was still asleep and in all honesty, a few more hours of extra sleep sounds so tempting. However a promise is a promise and I am determined to help Myra improve. Myra herself happily accepted my help and have no problem getting up early while dragging my dreaming ass up with her. Guess the thought of staying in Dauntless with Edward was really motivating.

The training room was dead silent, seeing the free punching bags and the empty tracks got me excited. I have always loved running, especially when it's nice and quiet, really allows you to think. Myra and I started with jogging the tracks 3 times as a warm up, however we didn't quite finish because she looked like she was about to pass out after 1 and half laps. Didn't want to risk explaining to Edward why her girlfriend is in the infirmary due to a heart failure, I decided to work on some punching techniques with her. I was teaching her to stable her feet before a punch and use the core when throwing a punch when Four and Eric walked in. Both were very surprised to see us.

'What the hell are you two doing here so early?' Eric grumbled, unlike his normal neatly styled hair, his hair looked a little messy with a few strands stick up. Just woke up I assume. He wore the same black track pants with a sleeveless vest, showing off all his impressive arm muscles. From the scowl he wore on his face, I can safely bet that he is not a morning person. Four on the other hand looked genuinely surprised to see the best ranked initiate and the last ranked initiate practicing early in the mornings. I think I even saw an approving glint behind his eyes.

'Just helping my friend Myra practice.' I casually responded, like it's my daily routine to wake up at 5am in the morning dodging punches from a girl who hated my guts until last night. Myra seemed surprised at my ease towards using of the word 'friend' but just went along with it. Eric made a disbelieving scoff and walked off setting up the mats with Four. I ignored their presence while telling Myra to continue, however it soon became obvious that having Eric and Four there judging our practice makes her extra nervous because she begins to punch rapidly in all direction. Her punches were weak and messy, and surprisingly, pretty painful. I would know because the pressure of having our trainer and a dauntless leader there has somehow magically erased the punching bags in Myra's world and her 'multi-direction' 'random' punches mostly ended up on me. The lucky person that can not dodge because securing the punching bags is her responsibility. After a few pointless and irritating blows, I decided it's time to move on to something safer. Myra agreed as she walked towards the targets and picked up a gun. Great, shooting.

* * *

After breakfast, Four announced that we will be taking a break from fighting today and instead move on to knife throwing. I was beyond grateful because the 5am practice and dodging punches...then bullets, really wore me out. I watched carefully as Four demonstrated the techniques to throwing the knife, I noted how he didn't use his wrist and instead it is a single flow of the arm movement. He also did not try to use too much power but instead the the right angle and speed was what got the knife to stick. Unfortunately for the other initiates, the idea of throwing a knife was simply too exciting that most of them didn't even focus on Four's demonstration. Eric stayed behind us, his eyes watching our every move. Soon he made eye contact with me, and raised an eyebrow. I realized that I have been staring for too long and am now the only initiate that haven't attempted one throw.

'Is there a problem initiate?' Eric shouted, I didn't need to turn around to know he was referring to me. I quickly weighed the options. I can not respond and risk pissing him off even more for him to punish me for disrespecting a leader. Or I can respond, and say what? However Eric is not a patient person. 'Are you ignoring me, initiate?' his tone was bitter but almost a little amused. Dark humor. Challenging me to challenge him. Although I'm not erudite, I'm not exactly an idiot either and even a dumbass knows challenging Eric is like committing suicide. Hell maybe jumping in the chasm has a better chance of surviving than challenging Eric.

'No, sir.' I responded as politely as I could and quickly throw the knife, to my surprises-and everyone else', it actually stuck. Of course it's not near the heart, but it's the only one so far that actually managed to stick in the target. Not to mention it was my first throw and I had thrown it under the pressure of Eric's intimidation. Luckily, Eric thought so too because he did not taunt me further. However not before adding 'pathetic, try hitting an area that actually makes a difference.' That was all the motivation I needed, who does he think he is? First trying to pick on me in front of everyone because I didn't throw when everyone else did? Then he has the guts to criticize my shot when it was clearly the only one that actually hit the target? I stood on my spot and mimicked Four's demonstration without actually throwing the knife, finally on my fifth practice I released the knife. I was met with a _ping_ and a knife in the very heart of the dummy. I smirked at Eric's direction and he narrowed his eyes, but didn't say more.

After a few more tries, Myra was the only one whose knife still haven't landed on the target. It became obvious that Eric's patience was beginning to run out because he was slowly making his way towards her. The atmosphere in the room was as tense as ever, everyone watching Myra as the last knife in her hand hit the floor 2 meters from the target. Eric coughed once and Myra finally realized Eric's presence, the disappointment from her eyes quickly flashed to fear and panic.

'Nice job initiate' Eric's tone was surprisingly calming. 'Not one hit the target. Not _fucking_ one.'

Myra was shaking at that point, she stared at the ground too scared to face Eric's cold but calculating eyes.

'Answer me when I'm speaking to you.' Eric's voice was getting more and more aggressive with each and every word.

'I..I'm sor..sorry..sir.' Myra stumbled 'I'll try...harder.' She quickly added when Eric didn't respond.

Eric laughed, just laughed. Like Myra trying harder is the funniest thing he's heard. Although the laugh sounded crazy, it's perfectly controlled. 'Well I think you should go get it and practice again.' No one dared to make a sound while Myra slowly makes her way towards the nearest knife. 'Everyone, go back to throwing.' That same cold voice commended the rest of us. Instinctively, Myra backed out of the throwing zone. Wrong move Myra, terrible move. Eric was not impressed with Myra's cowardice and Myra seemed to realize it too because when her eyes met mine, they were practically begging me for help. Suddenly Edward's voice rang in my head

 _While I'm away, can you help her?_

That voice terrified me, because helping Myra would require standing up to Eric, standing up to Eric is already a risk. It's even a bigger risk because he's already not impressed with me. However no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get Edward's voice out of my head. Before my brain processed what I was doing, my stupid mouth spoke up.

'Stop.' Great, that got everyone's attention. Eric directed his attention to me while Four pursed his lips.

'What?' Eric asked, like he almost couldn't believe someone would actually challenge him. There's no going back now, so may as well be Dauntless till the end. I had a feeling my end was approaching very rapidly.

'There is a high chance that she might get hurt because it's our first time using a knife. Dauntless is about bravery when confronted with danger, not seeking pointless danger to prove bravery, it only makes them an idiot.' I realized I just called Eric an idiot the minute it left my mouth, however it was a minute too late because if looks could kill, I'd be long dead from Eric's stare right now. Luckily though, looks can't kill so I let my eyes meet him and hold his stare until he finally decided to look away. Instead of killing me, Eric relaxed his stance and turned around.

'Everyone back to practice. Including you' He glanced at Myra. 'Go get some new knives and TRY to at least hit the target once.' Myra gladly took the opportunity and disappeared out of sight. I let out a breath of air I never realized I was holding in and went back to throwing. However out of no wear a pair of strong hands grabbed my waist securing me tightly preventing me from making a single move. Eric's lips were so close to my ear that it tickled when he spoke.

' _Watch yourself, initiate. I like a challenge... because I have never lost one.'_

And with that, he left the room. Slamming the door behind him as he exit.

* * *

 _I'm dead. So very dead._


	10. Chapter 10-Pain

**A*N. I was going to make this Eric's POV but was suggested not to because it might ruin everything. I agree so I will might do it later. For now I will continue this book with mainly Aly's POV and occasionally some third person POV to set for the future chapters and make it less confusing. Leave a review if you can because like I said, it really motivates me when I get to interact with you guys as well. Again hope you guys enjoy this chapter, thanks for reading!**

* * *

By dinner time, almost everyone in dauntless had found out about me and Eric's confrontation. Although no one dared to openly mention it, I was greeted with high 5s and back slaps at dinner time from the people near us. I have also received plenty of glances from other dauntless members, some of them fearful and shocked but mostly impressed and approving. Standing up to Eric has somehow proved my bravery to the entire faction within a few hours. Eric was no where to be seen at dinner which made me feel relieved. However it is also a little concerning, making me feel he's planning some kind of revenge. After what he said to me, I really need to start watching my back.

'ALYSIA DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?' Jac whisper screamed when my friends arrived at the table. 'Challenging Eric like that? I'm surprised he didn't throw you out of the compound already.' Rose looked concerned, like a disappointed mother after finding out how much trouble her kid was in. Caroline just looked proud, secretly sending me a wink and giving me a high-5 when Jac and Rose wasn't looking.

'It's Aly now, and no I just had to do what's right. He was bullying that poor girl.' I defended. I'm not regretting what I did, without my help Myra might either be outside factionless or dead on the floor with a knife in her back. 'Besides, it's over now. Even Eric's gotten over it.' I purposely left out the part where he threatened me, something tells me Eric is not the type to just 'get over' being disrespected. Rose sighed and Jac raised an eyebrow confirming my theory about Eric's revengeful personality. The entire table suddenly became really quiet as my friends decide what to do to help make the situation better. Caroline suddenly speaks up.

'You know what we should do? We should go down to the pit to dauntless-ify Aly' Yes Caro, me looking more tough might intimidate Eric and get him to back down. He might even runaway screaming when I show him my new ear piercing...*note the sarcasm* However i've always wanted to get a tattoo and in all honesty, my hair needed some fixing as well so I agreed.

* * *

We decided to get tattoos first because it was usually empty. I flipped through the portfolio trying to find one that speaks out to me. However everything here either looks too common-the faction symbols- or too...not me- Bears, tigers and wolves. Seeing my stress, the tattoo artist-Tori- came to my rescue.

'Anything I can help with?' I took one last look at the tattoos in my hand before frowning.

'Do you guys do customize tattoos?' I asked, she thought for a moment before responding.

'We usually don't' she responded before a look of recognition flashed across her face 'but aren't you the girl that stood up to Eric today?' I immediately looked down, even the tattoo parlor received my glorious news. 'I'm impressed, not many people dare to speak up to Eric.' She hesitated for a moment before adding 'you know what, for you I'll make an exception. What design do you have in mind?' That question threw me for a loop, I have never considered what tattoo I wanted. If It's going to be permanently on my skin I want it to at least mean something. I hesitated before something clicked in my brain.

'I want an amity tree, however the leaves to be dauntless fire' I told her. An amity tree symbolize the roots and where I was from, but the fire symbolizes that I was meant to be dauntless all along.

'Where do you want it and how big?' Tori asked as she lead me into one of the private rooms.

'On my back. the size of my hand' I responded before the needle hit my skin.

* * *

We then went to the hair salon, my hair dresser was a middle aged man with at least 10 face piercings and purple hair. He scoffed when he saw me hair.

'Sorry sweetie, just from your hair I can tell you were an Amity transfer.' That got me self conscious, I peaked at my friends from the mirror and could tell all three of them were trying hard not to laugh. I gave the hairdresser a questioning look from the mirror. 'I mean, blonde is already an amity colour, and the soft curls? You may as well go help in the soup kitchens and read to the factionless children.'

'I'm not naturally blonde' I defended feeling the urge to explain how I never truly fit into Amity. 'I'm naturally a brunette' My friends nodded behind me, backing me up. 'I just always dyed it blonde because that's what everyone else had back in Amity.'

'Well, what do you have in mind today?'

'Back to brunette, with a hint of red undertone' The hair dresser smirked.

By the time he was done, everyone widened their eyes. The old honey blonde soft curls were replaced with brunette redish hair and layered thin waves. It made my blue eyes pop and emphasizes my sharp cheekbones. I looked dauntless. The hairdresser whose name I learned was Simon looked proud of his work. Caro whistled from behind.

'Dayum girl, you should have embraced your natural colour this whole time.' Jac commented.

'It looks really beautiful Aly.' Rose complimented.

'Thanks.' I looked back at my reflection in the mirror. I looked fierce and tough, not one trace of amity left in me, and I wasn't sure if i'm happy about that or not.

* * *

The next day at training, Eric was still no where to be seen. I thought I was lucky until a dauntless member came to announce a message from Eric.

'Eric wants Aly to run the tracks until he gets back while other people work on their techniques. He believes she needs to work on her stamina.' Stamina my ass, this is clearly a way to get back at me from yesterday. Wasting my energy so other people can improve on their techniques. Four gave me an apologetic look telling me he can not disobey Eric's orders and sent me off to do my laps.

Eric returned in the afternoon, by then I had been running for 4 hours and was close to passing out. He was back holding the board of the fighting pairs and I wasn't sure how I felt when I saw the name next to mine. Peter. Eric stood to the side, not making eye contact with me. Peter on the other hand seemed excited, _hell_ the name was announced less than a minute ago and he's already doing stretches on the floor. I'm not terrified because I saw it coming, Eric wanted me to lose and so far Peter is the only one that can stand a chance against me. He fought dirty, but so can I. He lost to Edward and Edward is still out of training after the fight with me-not that i'm proud of. I think I can take Peter, but I also have a feeling he's not going to go down without a tough fight. Peter also did not just spent 4 hours running laps and is on the edge of collapsing.

'Come on, no time to rest. Lets get the first fight going.' Peter jumped in the ring immediately at Eric's request. My legs felt shaky as I make my way to the ring.

 _'Asshole'_ I muttered. Eric purposely and carefully planned all this so he can see me lose, he also knows Peter has no sympathy towards me and wouldn't hesitate to knock me out. Well he obviously underestimated me, he doesn't know what I've been through. How hard I worked back in Amity to achieve the skills I have today. I'm not going to let them go to waste just because of my temporary lack of energy and a dirty fighter. The only way I have a chance of winning is to defend and defend until an opportunity opens to take Peter out, so I wouldn't lose my already minimal strengths on blind attack. I scanned around the room, Christina, Will, Al and Myra all looked sorry for me. The others all hope I would lose to knock my rankings down a bit. Suddenly a strong hand grabbed my elbow, I looked back surprised to see a pissed off Four.

'He's going to think it's an easy match, take a few blows and seek your own opportunity to recover, but no matter what. Don't let him pin you down. That's how he finishes everyone.' Four quickly whispered before walking off. I felt a pang of warmth through me. I'm going to win this for both Four and Eric. For Four's faith in me winning, and Eric's faith in me losing.

Peter did not give me much time to prepare, his fist had already connected with my core the moment Eric announced for us to start. I already saw it coming and dodged to the side at the last minute so it only connected with the side of my core, but it still hurt like a bitch. My hands were up near my head ready to block any attack at my face, my lower body was not protected at all so Peter took full advantage of it. Punching rapidly at my stomach. Each punch knocking air out of my lungs. However I was also prepared to take some hits, dodging as quickly as I could while at the same time mentally embracing the blows he's managed to hit. However I also know I can't keep going on like this, even though my core is less vulnerable than my face, keeping this up is still not a lasting strategy. I decided to look for ways to attack, moving my arms down to my neck area while throwing Peter a punch. However my punch was weak because I had barely any strength and Peter took this as an opportunity to grab my arm. He twisted it behind me and pinned me in a position where my arms were behind me and my back was to him. My arms were stuck.

'I like your hair, did you think that was going to make you more dauntless?' Peter whispered in my ear. 'If you beg now, I might finish this earlier and make it easier for you.' He pulled my arm back a little more to emphasize his point and I screamed out in pain.

'Stop playing around, finish her already' Eric's bored tone shouted at us. I laughed out from the intense pain on my arm and Eric's stupidity for thinking how easy it is to defeat me.

'Oh Peter' I teased quietly. He leaned in to hear what I have got to say. 'You have no idea how much pain I can take.' I shouted the last part. Before he had the chance to process what I just said. I pulled my arm back further bending it at the same time. The sharp pain brought tears to my eyes but I'm not going to let it stop me. Peter was too shocked at what I had just done so I used this to my advantage. I swang my begs under him knocking him off balance and jumped on top of him. I punched his face again and again with my good arm until he's out unconscious.

'Stop.' Four's voice put a stop on my attack. Him and another dauntless soldiers came and dragged Peter to the infirmary. Unfortunately for me, the adrenaline from the fight ran out and the sharp pain from me dislocating my own arm, the pain in my stomach from Peter's punches along with exhaustion from this morning and the fight all came back to me. Before I know it, my legs gave out and everything went blurry.

The last thing I remember was my friends calling my name and a pair of strong arms carrying me to the infirmary.

That normally cold face finally has something else to it. But I couldn't quite pinpoint the exact emotion on Eric's face before darkness clouded my eyes.


End file.
